Chapter 181
Chapter 181
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: Temporary 5th Squad Leader (1)
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‘Torkel’s assassination.’
After all the meetings had concluded.
Theo was lost in deep thought the entire way back to his lodgings.
‘Why wasn’t there anything like this in my previous life? Or was there, and I just didn’t know about it?’
In his previous life, Torkel, who had risen to fame as a once-in-a-generation genius, had ultimately failed in the struggle for the throne.
The publicly known cause of death was death in battle.
Everyone believed he had perished during the fight against the Sacred Demon Cult... but it seemed the truth was something else entirely.
The Black Dragon hadn’t explained why he needed to assassinate Torkel.
However, given his obsession with the Ragnar Family—one far more intense than even the Family Head’s—there had to be a compelling reason for such a decision.
Collusion with the Sacred Demon Cult, perhaps.
Or something else entirely...
‘Evelyn chasing after the Dragon Lord is headache enough. What the hell is going on in the family?’
Feeling a stifling frustration, Theo let out a long sigh.
The family appeared so grand on the surface, yet in reality, it was riddled with invisible cracks, teetering on the brink of collapse at any moment.
Could he truly fix this?
Could he stitch it back together and elevate it to even greater heights?
How exactly was he supposed to do it?
His mind grew tangled.
But one thing was certain.
He had to make it happen, no matter what.
That was the weight of fate he had taken on upon his regression.
* * *
The moment he stepped into the 5th Squad’s barracks, Theo was greeted by cheers from Selphard, Arin, and the rest of the squad members.
“Congratulations, Squad Leader!”
“Congrats!”
“Man! It feels like just yesterday you became the youngest combat swordsman, and now you’re already an advanced swordsman and squad leader... How much further are you gonna go?”
Pop! Boom boom!
Even fireworks exploding right in front of him.
Theo scratched his cheek with his index finger, looking awkward.
He hadn’t anticipated anything like this at all.
The large dining table was laden with all sorts of food and drinks.
He wondered when they’d even had time to prepare all this.
“Ta-da.”
Selphard, whom he suspected was the ringleader behind this(?), came forward with Arin carrying a cake and plopped a conical party hat on Theo’s head.
“...What’s this?”
“What else? A crown. Looks perfect on you, doesn’t it?”
Selphard winked with one eye and stuck out a thumbs-up.
Theo let out a heavy sigh.
“Sis! Sis sis sis!”
Meanwhile, Holcus, who had been clapping amid the squad members, urgently grabbed Erika’s arm.
Erika irritably shook off his hand.
“Ugh, I’m listening, so let go and talk!”
“What do we do? What should we do?”
“Do about what?”
“Theo’s second sword spot! It’s slipping away—what do we do?”
“Weren’t you aiming for the first spot before?”
“Yeah, but that’s gone down the drain, so I gave up. What about the second?”
“Simple.”
“Simple? How?”
“Beat Ray first.”
“Damn...!”
Holcus’s face flushed red.
It reminded him of charging at Ray full of bravado, only to have his soul thoroughly crushed.
Erika crossed her arms and snorted lightly, but her gaze never left Theo.
Ray’s words echoed in her mind: Theo had been perfected by crossing the line between life and death countless times.
Ray watched Theo silently, without a word.
“Alright, now a word from our new squad leader, Theo Ragnar.”
Selphard held out an imaginary microphone to Theo.
Theo let out a hollow chuckle and asked,
“What’s all this?”
“What else? A celebration party. Can’t have a joyous occasion like this without a party, right? Isn’t that so, everyone?”
“Right! Right!”
“We cleaned out those dark-skinned bastards we couldn’t stand, and it feels damn good!”
“Hahaha! Yeah, yeah. You should’ve seen those guys’ faces when we conquered the top at the end—ugh...!”
“It cleared out all the crap in my chest!”
“But where the hell did all those dragons come from? It was insane.”
The other squad members chattered noisily, recalling Theo’s divine display.
They had already accepted from that moment that Theo wouldn’t fall short as squad leader.
“What’re you doing? My arm’s gonna fall off. Hurry up and say a few words.”
Urged on by Selphard, Theo gave a wry smile and spoke.
“I’m Theo Ragnar, temporarily taking on the squad leader position this time.”
His voice settled in seriously, quieting the rowdy atmosphere.
‘Their eyes are sharp, as expected.’
Their eyes all sparkled with amusement, but their expressions were utterly earnest.
Theo fully grasped why these were the White Dragon Knights, straightened his attire, and continued.
“For convenience in issuing orders, I’ll use formal speech only until midnight today. Since it’s my first time as squad leader, you might all feel uneasy, but I plan to give it my all. I won’t ask much of you. There’s only one thing I want: trust.”
A squad leader not even twenty years old.
One might expect doubts about his skills, yet not a flicker of hesitation showed in their eyes.
“If you trust me, I’ll repay it in kind. And I’ll hand you victory. However, if you disobey orders, I’ll deal with it on the spot.”
Selphard gazed fondly at Theo, who had already captivated the room.
‘This kid’s got the knack.’
He knew it wasn’t right to call his now-superior “kid,” but.
Truth be told, Selphard was utterly charmed by this junior-turned-superior who felt like a little brother yet commanded deep respect.
“With that in mind, I’m sorry to kill the mood, but here’s my first order. Postpone the party until this time tomorrow.”
His offhand remark left Selphard and the others stunned.
They’d prepared everything—why now?
Especially after scraping together this event amid the fatigue from the clash with the Black Iron Knights, their bewilderment was all the greater.
“At 4 a.m. today, the White Dragon Knights and Black Iron Knights will conduct a joint operation. The objective is to eliminate the Sacred Demon Cult altar within Troyvan’s camp, per higher command.”
The squad members reacted variously.
Some looked shocked, others hurriedly glanced at Theo.
But one thing was the same.
Their eyes hardened.
Selphard hesitated before speaking.
“Squad Leader, the Black Iron Knights...!”
“Yes. We clashed with them just hours ago. But the orders remain unchanged.”
“Hmm.”
“Urgh...!”
Groans rose from all around.
They visibly wrestled with whether they could truly trust their backs to those guys.
“And.”
This was the crucial part, so Theo switched to telepathy.
「This is the official White Dragon Knights order. Our 5th Squad has a separate true mission. Assassinating the Black Iron Knights’ leader amid the chaos.」
“...!”
“...!”
“...!”
The shocked squad members belatedly tried to school their expressions, but it wasn’t easy.
「So, take extra care to ensure no issues during the mission. For security, all external activity is prohibited starting now. That is all.」
The air inside the barracks heated up.
* * *
The 5th Squad sprang into action.
Only three or four hours remained until the mission.
Finishing preparations in that time was tight.
They had to gear up, feed the wyverns their fill, and more.
“...I have no idea what’s going on.”
Kreeeek!
Selphard yanked hard on the harness bit gripped in his partner wyvern’s jaws.
Arin, who’d been distracting the wyvern to keep it from fussing, tilted her head.
“Huh?”
“This operation.”
“No problems, right?”
“None. We’re just foot soldiers following orders from above. But.”
Selphard paused to gather his thoughts before continuing.
“The family feels too chaotic lately.”
“Chaotic?”
“Don’t you feel it? Or is it just me?”
Arin stared at Selphard silently.
Contrary to his cheerful personality, Selphard’s bastard origins had honed his sensitivity to others’ moods.
He often picked up on info not yet disseminated to the unit just from the atmosphere.
It was happening now, so Arin couldn’t help but worry.
“Explain properly.”
“Well, Evelyn, who was prepping for dragon gate swordsman promotion, suddenly goes on a solo mission, Theo takes her spot right away, and now this mission...”
Arin, with her long service in the White Dragon Knights, knew full well.
The Black Iron Knights’ loyalty to Torkel was fanatical.
They’d die on his command, live on his word.
An assassination order was tantamount to subjugating the Black Iron Knights.
“This mission’s importance probably led the Black Dragon to propose it, and the Family Head approved. But is this really Ragnar’s usual way?”
“If it were before... they’d just drag him out.”
“Exactly. It reeks of scheming. Not Ragnar-like at all.”
It meant change in Ragnar’s administrative system, where upper commands were absolute.
Only then did Arin grasp the danger.
“From the Family Head to the Nine Dragons, it feels like everyone’s being hunted.”
“...”
“Of course, with a war dubbed the Annihilation War—where one side must be utterly crushed—it’s natural... But something tells me this isn’t the end.”
“What else is coming after this?”
“Who knows?”
Arin fell silent.
She couldn’t guess what more there could be beyond Torkel’s assassination.
“Why so serious? Just spitballing. Anyway, keep your heads on straight. No sleep tonight.”
Selphard laughed loudly, finishing the last preparations.
While the prep time flew by in frenzy, Theo was receiving new visitors.
“Finally met you. Gatekeeper. The new.”
“An honor. A blessing. For us all!!”
Despite the late hour, these dust-covered arrivals were the natives who had guarded the White Tower for so long.
Theo pitied their injured states and tried to suggest meeting after treatment, but.
Their fervor was impossible to deter.
“It’s fine. Our bodies can break. But we can’t miss the gatekeeper. Our ancestors too!”
Lodbrok laughed.
『They don’t seem in any state for a proper conversation, do they?』
‘I can’t just leave them like this forever.’
『Heh. Could pass for a fanatic cult from somewhere.』
‘Please spare me those grim words.’
But as he pondered how to dissuade the wide-eyed natives, someone stepped forward, extending both hands, and the commotion died like magic.
It was a young beauty with long, silk-like hair.
Her attire, however, stood out in color from the other natives.
『That woman their leader? She carries a familiar scent.』
‘Familiar?’
『Yes. This woman’s no ordinary human.』
As Theo’s eyes widened, the woman soothed the natives in an unknown tongue and turned to him.
“I apologize for barging in so rudely. I am ‘Black and Blue Bird,’ ‘Dangol’ of the White Tower Clan.”
Unlike the others, her Imperial tongue was fluent and refined.
『This woman’s a Draconian.』
‘...!’
“It’s an honor to meet the gatekeeper.”
Theo was reflected in her obsidian eyes.
Yet her face felt strangely familiar.
‘Lodbrok.’
『Yes, I see it too. The face, the aura... Just like mine. Like a copy.』